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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 19 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 16 |
| 1886 | 15 |
| 1887 | 9 |
68 stories matching quick
- Fire Sweeps Through Opium Den and Saloon District
A negligent stove in a Washington Street opium den sparks a conflagration that consumes seven buildings in the heart of Seattle.
- Steamer Burned to the Waterline on the Skagit
A fire sparked by a boiler quickly consumed the steamer Fanny Lake, leaving passengers and crew with nothing but their lives.
- The Seattle Baker Who Stopped a Midnight Inferno
A quick-thinking baker at the Queen City Bakery spotted smoke rising from the Denny Block, narrowly averting a major downtown catastrophe.
- The Squire’s Secret Christmas Delivery
In 1885 Seattle, a wealthy local benefactor orchestrates a secret delivery to a struggling family, highlighting the sharp contrast between holiday luxury and the poverty of the growing city.
- The Spirit Who Socked the Detective
A seance in Seattle turns into a brawl when a detective catches a ‘spirit’ in the act of fraud.
- The Hollow Stump Swindle
A Spokane farmer learns the hard way that promises of quick riches found in a forest stump usually lead to empty pockets.
- Efficiency on the Waterfront
A clever engineering fix replaces a main mast in record time at the Seattle docks.
- A Boy’s Quick Thinking Saves the May Creek Trestle
When a youth discovered a blaze on a high railway bridge, his rapid response prevented a catastrophe for the incoming train.
- The Loss of a Landmark: Cyrus Walker’s Port Gamble Home
A catastrophic early-morning blaze consumes one of the finest residences in Port Gamble, resulting in a loss valued at over five thousand dollars.
- The Tragedy of the Dancing Mouse
A tiny creature with a flair for the dramatic met her end while trying to enjoy a violin performance in the comfort of a private home.
- The Price of Speculation: A 1885 Analysis of Market Volatility
An editorial from 1885 diagnoses the era’s economic woes, blaming a collective obsession with get-rich-quick schemes over steady industry.
- The Passing of a Frontier Lawyer
The community mourns the death of Frank Clark, a prominent pioneer lawyer and former legislator, whose legal career helped shape the early days of Pierce County.
- The Rescue of the Bark Arabella
After running aground, a stranded vessel is saved by the quick work of local steamers.
- The Jury's Defiant Verdict
A Port Townsend courtroom is stunned when a jury ignores the judge's instructions and acquits a defendant, leading to an immediate judicial rebuke.
- Storm Topples Telegraph Poles, Threatening Streets
A morning windstorm turned a downtown intersection into a dangerous thicket of downed lines, nearly causing a panic.
- Diver Dies in Tragic Salvage Attempt
A rescue operation to right the sunken Umatilla ends in a gruesome accident when a diver is found dead after a communication line fails.
- The Day Seaton Went Up in Smoke
A devastating fire tore through a Washington sawmill town, proving how quickly the industrial heart of the frontier could vanish.
- The Great Seattle Tax Auction of 1885
Before Seattle was a tech hub, it was a frontier town defined by rapid land speculation and the inevitable, painful process of tax foreclosures on the city's building blocks.
- Choosing the Schoolhouse for North Seattle
City officials scout a new location for a school on a high ridge overlooking Lake Union and the Sound.
- The Unlucky Entrepreneur of Seattle
A hopeful man attempts to launch a steamship business in Seattle, only to be outmaneuvered by a rival and left with a rotting boat.
- The Unholy Row at the Pool Hall
A local hothead turned a Sunday game of billiards into a brush with death after a botched pistol shot.
- The Rolling Pin’s Final Word
A widower who couldn't stop praising his late wife’s domestic skills quickly learns to stop complaining about his current spouse.
- The Imaginary Inheritance
A young man's prank about a fake Chinese inheritance snowballs into a lucrative, accidental fortune built on social perception.
- Explosion Shatters Chinese Washhouse in Seattle
A bomb destroys the front of a Sixth Street laundry, sparking fear and anti-Chinese sentiment among locals.
- The Day the Floor Collapsed at the Revivals
A two-story church in Seattle, serving as a school on its lower floor, gave way under the weight of a crowd, resulting in a thirteen-foot plunge and multiple severe injuries.